Bread making

This morning I pulled out my Oyster bread machine. I made some sourdough bread for breakfast. I started it at 4:00AM and it was ready by 7:00AM. Just in time for use with some of Mamaw Smith's strawberry freezer jam and butter with Mello Joy coffee.

Outstanding except I wish I could have made it rise more. I was sorta wondering if I doubled up on the yeast, would it create more air bubbles and rise better?

Paul, the best way to use your machine is to set it on manuel control (or dough) When it is finished (1 1/2 hours) take it out and shape it into loaf and put into greased bread pan. Cover with towel. If kitchen is cool, it may take as long as two hours to raise nicely . I alway set my oven to 150 degrees for two minutes and then turn the oven off. I then put the bread (covered with towel into oven to raise. It is usuually ready in one hour done this way

Then remove the towel turn oven on to 350 degrees and bake for 40 minutes. You will have a perfect loaf of bread. I make bread nearly every day. I also make rolls, hot dog rolls, and hamburger bun using this method. Everything comes out perfectly this way!

I had the same problem last weekend. I made 7 or 8 loaves of bread my bread machine. Only one got a good rise. ... What I figured out was, the sugar needs to be doubled 2 TBS instead of 1 and more yeast, 1 1/2 tsp instead of 1. ... The next problem was the tops fell making it sunken. I think this problem is because of too much Cisco. I will cut this on the next loaf; I believe the amount of water is OK.

I don't use a bread machine as I make my breads and pizza dough by hand. First and foremost is to use fresh yeast. I keep mine in the refrigerator. Secondly, I use filtered water as the chlorine in tap water can be damaging to yeast. You can do the same letting the water sit for a few hours before using it. The water also has to be warm but not hot. lastly, even though I will use the fast acting bread machine yeast that can be mixed right into the flour, I will premix it with the water and a pinch of sugar for two reasons - one to give it a 10 minute boost before mixing it in with the flour, and two, it is the best way to observe and make sure the yeast is active. With pizza dough I like to ferment the dough ball at least overnight in the fridge. That way you can get by with less yeast so the dough does not taste as yeasty.

I also don't use a bread machine. I agree with everything Davydd has said above. The one thing I learned is to ignore that "let rise 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk". Forget about the time. Temperature, humidity and altitude have a lot to do with yeast. Sometimes it has taken my dough 3 hours to double. Just be patient.

But then there was the time I decided to capture wild yeast in the air.......no, I won't go into that here.

Guess I never thought of getting a bread machine because my great-grandmother, grandfather and mother all made it by hand.

I love my bread machine. Being a household engineer in a family of 6, with 2 loads of laundry to do every day, transporting kids to sports, dentist appointments , etc, I need to save all the time that I can. The bread machine makes it feasible for me to bake 90 percent of our bread products. I would hate to give it up. Oh yes, I also make wonderful meals for the family.

One Thing...if you ARE going to use a bread machine...............ok.2 things. With Sourdough, set it for the longest process you have.usually whole wheat.......and.sometimes..it's worth re-starting after the first knead. Second......Sugar will work better than honey with the yeast.

﻿I am not allowed to post a link as of yet but on Yahoodotcom one of the articles is about using your Microwave as a proofer for dough. It is #7 on the list. You can find it at shinedotyahoo.com/shine-food/7-unexpected-uses-for-your-microwave. It might be worth a try.

This morning I pulled out my Oyster bread machine. I made some sourdough bread for breakfast. I started it at 4:00AM and it was ready by 7:00AM. Just in time for use with some of Mamaw Smith's strawberry freezer jam and butter with Mello Joy coffee.

Outstanding except I wish I could have made it rise more. I was sorta wondering if I doubled up on the yeast, would it create more air bubbles and rise better?

Thanks for your thoughts. If it's sourdough why would you double your yeast? It's either sourdough or yeast..............

I bought some special bread flour. Somehow it is different that just regular flour. I have made some yeast rolls that were outstanding in a muffin pan. This morning I made some doughnuts using my deep fryer.. I made the first a little too small and frosted them with powdered sugar, vanilla and water. The glaze and taste was outstanding however I am making them again with a larger doughnut. They rise beautiful.

I also made some cinnamon rolls from the dough. I rolled the dough pretty thin, coated the rollout dough with melted unsalted butter, sugar and cinnamon and after they rose, I baked them for about 20 minutes and dipped them in the powdered sugar, water and vanilla. Very good.

I don't use a bread machine as I make my breads and pizza dough by hand. First and foremost is to use fresh yeast. I keep mine in the refrigerator. Secondly, I use filtered water as the chlorine in tap water can be damaging to yeast. You can do the same letting the water sit for a few hours before using it. The water also has to be warm but not hot. lastly, even though I will use the fast acting bread machine yeast that can be mixed right into the flour, I will premix it with the water and a pinch of sugar for two reasons - one to give it a 10 minute boost before mixing it in with the flour, and two, it is the best way to observe and make sure the yeast is active. With pizza dough I like to ferment the dough ball at least overnight in the fridge. That way you can get by with less yeast so the dough does not taste as yeasty.

What I find interesting is that I brew beer, and the similarities between bread making and beer brewing are amazing! In beer making, good water, good yeast, and correct temps are key, and it looks as though the same could be said of bread!

The type of flour makes a difference. Bread machine flour and bread flour are the same thing, according to KingArthurFlour.com. Bread flour and all-purpose flour are not. According to TLC Cooking, the main difference between types of flour is the gluten content. All-purpose flour is made from a blend of high-gluten hard wheat and low-gluten soft wheat, with up to 14 percent less protein than bread flour. Bread flour is an unbleached blend of mostly hard wheat, giving it a high gluten content. All-purpose flour can be used for bread baking, but the resulting loaves won't be as successful as those made with bread flour.

The type of yeast makes a difference. Active dry yeast takes twice as long to rise as bread machine yeast. Traditional yeast needs two risings compared with only one with bread machine yeast. Bread machine yeast is more finely ground so it absorbs moisture faster. The sugars convert sooner to carbon dioxide and make the dough rise. Active dry yeast creates a stronger signature yeast taste and aroma. Bread machine yeast has a more subtle smell and taste.

Foodbme......you are correct on flour..............and also air humidity can affect how well the flour granules absorb and rise. If you..OP.. are gonna use a bread machine for the full cycle ( I only use it to mix most times), a few tricks:

Add a tsp or 2 of lemon juice.the acid helps the yeast and much better than adding more yeast which gives it an off flavor

You add anything besides flour liquid, yeast, and salt.............let the machine run through the first knead cycle. Shut it off......wait 20-30 minutes,,start over from scratch.and if you have a Whole Wheat Settting...even better. My Zoji makes great Sourdough and Whole wheat "Sandwich-style" loaves doing that

My Grandma made delicious Breads. She always used "Cake Yeast" AKA fresh compressed yeast. Here's a source for yeast and other baking products. You can sign up for their "Frequent Flour" Program and accumulate points towards future purchases. http://nybakers.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6

If your machine has separate DOUGH and BAKE cycles, you can use it to make real sourdough bread. I use separate DOUGH and BAKE cycles on my Bread Machine. This allows the sourdough to rise at its own rate without using any yeast.

I use Carl's 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough. You can get a dried starter for free with a self addressed stamped envelope. Just Google Carl's 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough. An older gentleman use to give away starter that was in his family for over 100 years. After he died, his internet friends continue to send out free sourdough starter. I've kept my starter alive in the fridge for about 5 years now.

Place ingredients in bread machine in order given above or according to your bread machines instructions.

Start bread machine on DOUGH cycle.

I use a rubber spatula to help the bread maker, if needed, for the first couple of minutes of mixing by pushing any dry lumps into the mixing blade. Adjust dough to proper consistency with more flour or water as needed to make a firm, non-sticky dough that could be kneaded by hand.